Tire tread remover



W. G. F RITTS v TIRE TREAD REMOVER Oct. 11; 1938.

Filed Dec. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l W701i) sum 15mm.

ATTORNEYS.

ct. 11, 19380 w. G. FRITTS TIRE TREAD REMbvER Filed Dec. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

% a v PKG-P11115125 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 PATENT OFFICE TIRE. TREAD REMOVER Wilfred Guy Fritts, Lexington, N. G.

V Application'December 30, 1937, Serial No. 182,606

This inventionrelates to a machine for re moving tire treads and is designed primarily as animprovement upon the structure shown for 7 example in Patent 1,897,425 issued to me on February 14, 1933.

An object of the invention is to provide the machine with upper and lower feed rolls, the lower roll being mounted in a new and novel manner whereby it can readily be swung into and 10' out of position within the tire so as to expedite placing and removing the tire.

A further object is to provide improved means I for adjustably supporting the lower feed roll..

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description. proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts here;

inafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

. In said drawings V Figure 1 is a front elevation of the: machine.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2,1Figure 1,

a portion of a tire being shown in engagement,

with the machine.

Figure 3 is a side elevation. Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section through the upper feed roll.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates a frame of any suitable construction in the lower portionof which is mounted a motor 2 for operating the mechanismwhile at a point above the motor there is located a cross plate 3 in which is adjustably mount ed a screw-threaded sleeve 4 which can be rotated by means of a; wheel 5 or the like and constitutes the housing for'bearings 6.. These bearings are provided for the shaft or spindle lwhich projects from the center of the closed belt can be provided with any; suitable tightener,

ste m against rotation.

- 4 Claims; (01. 164-61) l3 which can be in the form of a pulley as shown particularly in Figure 1.

A counter-shaft I4 is journalled on the frame I and carries a pulley l5 adapted to receive motion through a belt I6 from a small pulley I! on shaft I2. Another pulley, I8, on the countershaft HI transmits motion through a belt l9 to a pulley. 20 on a shaft 2| journalled upon the upper portion of the frame. This latter shaft has a gear 22 meshing with a. gear 23 secured to a transverse shaft 24 located in front of the upper portion of the' frame and mounted in 7 suitable bearings such as hangers 25. Secured on this shaft directly above the central portion of the cylindrical cutter 9 is a rubber roll 26 the periphery of which is faced with a plurality of separately shiftable rings 2'1. These rings are preferably formed of metal and are so shaped and proportioned that they cooperate toform a roll with a concave periphery as shown particularly in Figure 1. However as the rings are supported on a roll 26 of soft rubber, they can yield separately so that this upper feed roll .formed of the parts 26 and 21 thus will adapt erally and upwardly, its upper end being formed with an upwardly extending arm 29 having a stop ear 30. A transverse stationary shaft 3| is secured to one side of frame I and extends through arm 29, this shaft constituting a support on which an ear 32 is mounted for osci1lation, This ear is extended from the lower end portion of a guide sleeve 33 provided with a longitudinal slot 34 and slidable in this sleeve is a stem 35 having a fin 36 which projects into and slid'es within the slot 34, thus to hold the A screw 31 is swiveled in the lower end of'the stem and is threaded through the lower end of the sleeve 33. This screw has a head 38 or the like by which it can be rotated readily for the purpose of raising or lowering the stem 35 relative to sleeve 33.

The upp r or outer end of stem 35 is flattened to form a head 39 through which extends a bearing pin 40. This pin extends in opposite directions from the head and its two end portions provide bearings for oppositely disposed tapered sections 4] of the lower feedroll. The contour of these sections is such as to conform substantially with the transverse curvature of the tire being acted upon. v

A lever 42 is secured to one side of the car are mounted in brackets on the front portion of the frame I. The lower sleeve 44 contains a shaft 46 carrying a sharpening disk 41 at one end adapted to engage the outer side of the cylindrical cutter at the periphery thereof. Pulleys 4B and 49 are carried bythe other end portion of shaft 46 and one of them is driven by a belt 50 receiving motion from a pulley 5| on counter-shaft I4 while the other pulley, 48, is adapted to transmit motion through a belt 52 to a pulley 53 on one end of a shaft 54 which is journalled in the sleeve 43. This latter shaft carries a sharpening disk 55 at its other end for engaging the inner side of the cylindrical cutter at the edge thereof. By means of handwheels 56 or the like the two sleeves 44 and 43 can be adjusted longitudinally so as to move the sharpening disks toward or from the edge of the cutter. This rotation of the sleeves is of course independent to the shafts 4S and '54 under the action of their driving belt.

A stop ear 5; isextended laterally from the sleeve 33 and carries a stop screw 58 which is adjustable in the ear and is adapted to move against stop 33 for the purpose of limiting the swinging movement of sleeve 33 in one direction.

When it is desired to use this machine for the purpose of stripping the tread portion from a tire, the lever 42 is swung downwardly. This will cause sleeve 33 and the parts carried therebyto swing downwardly so that the lower feed roll 4i will move away from the cutting edge of the cylindrical cutter 9. The tire is then moved laterally so as to encircle shaft 3i, roll l and sleeve ,33,'with a portion of the tire extending into the space defined by the cutter 9. Lever 42 is then swung upwardly and this will cause the roll 4!, which is convex, to swing upwardly against the inner surface of the tire and to compress it against the upper feed roll 2? which is The machine is then set in operation with the result that the cutter 9 will be caused to rotate about the axis of the shaft 1 and as it rotates the .tire is forced against the cutting edge so that the tread will be stripped and passed over the outer surface, of the cutter while the remainder of the tire will move intothe area defined by the cutter. Roll 4| of course supports the tire in proper position and as the tire is constantly fed toward the cutter, the roll M will constantly be pressed toward the cutter and does not require any means for holding it in place. This swinging movement will of course be limited by the screw 58 contacting with stop ear 3%. After the stripping operation has been completed, lever s2 is swung downwardly, thereby swinging roll 4! downwardly away from the cutting edge. Thus the stripped tire can be, removed laterally from off of roll4i after which another tire'can be'placed in position and the foregoing operation repeated. Obviously by means of the sharpening devices 41 and 55, the cutting edge can be maintained sharp, it being understood that these sharpening elements can be used either while the machine is operating or whenever the sharpening of the cutter is necessary.

By means of the screw 31 the roll 4| can be adjusted upwardly or downwardly in order that the machine may be adapted to tires of difierent thicknesses.

What is claimed is:

1. A tire stripping machine including a cylindrical cutter, means for rotating the same, a concave feed roll outside of but adjacent to the cutter, means for rotating the same in one direction, a convex feed roll, a support therefor mounted for swinging movement, said support being spaced from the cutter to provide a clearance for the insertion of a tire into position between the rolls and encircling the supporting structure of the swinging roll.

2. A tire stripping machine including a cylindrical cutter, means for rotating the same, a concave feed roll mounted for rotation adjacent to the cutter, means for driving the same, a convex feed roll, a bracket extending partly across and adjacent to the cutter, an adjustable connection between the convex feed roll and the bracket, means for swinging said connection relative to the bracket, and means for limiting the swinging movement of said connection, there being a sufficient clearance between one side of the cutter and the bracket for the insertion of a tire while being placed in position encircling the bracket and between the rolls.

3. A tire stripping machine including a cylindrical cutter having a circular cutting edge, means for rotating the cutter, an upper feed roll, means for rotating the same, a bracket fixedly mounted and extending partly across the cutter, a sleeve mounted to swing relative to and supported by the bracket, a convex feed roll, adjustable means carried by the sleeve for supporting the convex roll adjacent to the cutting edge and the upper feed roll, means for swinging said sleeve relative to the bracket to move the convex feed r011 toward and from the cutting edge, and means for limiting themovement of said roll in one direction, there being a clearance between the sleeve and cutter for the lateral insertion of a tire between the roll to encircle the sleeve and bracket.

4. A tire stripping machine including a cylindrical cutter having a circular cutting edge, means for rotating the same, a concave feed roll including yieldingly supported rings shiftable to conform to the transverse contour of the tread of a tire, a supporting structure extending partly across the cutter with one end spaced from the cutter, a structure mounted to swing on said end and toward or from the cutter substantially in the plane of the axis of rotation of the cutter, a convex feed'roll adjustably'supported by the swinging structure, said rolls cooperating to grip a tire and feed it annularly toward the cutter and into the area surrounded by the cutting edge, there being sufiicient clearance, between the end of the supporting structure and the cutter for the insertion of a tire thereinto into position between the rolls and around said structure. y

' W'ILFRED GUY FRITTS. 

